A burst of unusually cold air pushed temperatures in Orlando, Florida Orlando well below what visitors typically expect in the region, with the city dropping to about 24°F on Feb. 1, 2026, according to local reports. The cold snap prompted official alerts across parts of Central Florida, where forecasters warned of conditions capable of producing ice and frost in areas that rarely see it.
The National Weather Service issued advisories and warnings for multiple counties, including Orange and Osceola Counties, where major tourist destinations are concentrated. Forecast products described the potential for hard freeze conditions in some locations, with overnight lows expected in the low-to-mid 20s°F in parts of the region.
Ice Forms On Park Features And Familiar Landmarks
At Walt Disney World, visitors and online posts documented ice building up on water features and misting systems. One widely shared image showed elongated icicles hanging from a fountain outside Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in Epcot. Elsewhere, the sprayers associated with Jungle Cruise appeared frozen, reflecting how quickly the overnight chill affected equipment designed for warm-weather operations.
Across town at Universal Orlando Resort, videos and photos showed similar conditions, with ice forming along fountains and decorative structures. Footage posted by the account @bioreconstruct @bioreconstruct showed multiple water features beginning to freeze at Epic Universe Universal Epic Universe, including the Mario Fountain at Super Nintendo World Super Nintendo World and a fountain in the How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk area. Another striking image showed thick icicles hanging from the park’s globe landmark.
Warnings Continue As Operators Adjust Schedules
The cold prompted operational changes, particularly for water-based attractions. Universal Volcano Bay announced closures for Feb. 2–3 due to weather, and noted additional scheduled downtime later in the week. Local reporting also described a broader pattern of record-setting lows across Central Florida, with weather offices noting multiple daily and monthly records being broken.
Theme park operators in the region routinely plan for rainstorms and heat, but hard freezes present different challenges, including protecting plumbing, pumps, and exposed decorative water elements. In addition to guest comfort concerns, freezing temperatures can create slipping hazards and damage equipment that is not typically winterized to the same degree as parks in colder climates. Forecasters continued to highlight the risk of overnight freezing conditions, keeping freeze-related alerts active in parts of the area as the cold air lingered.
Cold Snap Adds A New Twist To Winter Travel
The appearance of icicles at major Central Florida attractions underscores how the region’s winter tourism can be disrupted by rare cold events. While daytime sunshine often returns quickly in Florida, the combination of clear skies and dry air behind a strong front can allow temperatures to drop sharply at night, producing conditions that feel out of place for visitors expecting subtropical warmth.
Travel planners and local officials typically emphasize hydration and heat precautions in Orlando; this episode, instead, focused on cold-weather messaging, including advisories and freeze warnings. For many guests, the visual contrast, familiar fountains and themed landscapes framed by ice, became the defining image of the weekend, shared widely online as the cold spell continued to ripple through the park’s normal routines.
